kemp. in 1966, bob dole selected mr. kemp. this event took place at u.s.a. today's headquarters just outside of washington d.c. this is just under an hour. >> good morning. i'm peter pritchard managing editor of special projects for u.s.a. today. this is another in our series of meetings with the presidential candidates in 1988. this morning, we have congressman afternoon kemp republican from new york from western new york where it snows all the time with us. it doesn't snow in western new

york? >> beautiful. >> it's a beautiful part of the country where it doesn't snow. mr. kept. -- kemp says. he also believes in the gold standard. i think all of you know that jack kemp spent at the love time playing football. no one accused of him of playing football without a helmet. another one of our great politicians who wanted to be president, jerry ford. jack is known as a pretty cerebral fella who loves to talk and talk. jack tells a story upon himself that he likes to talk so much that he watches all of the television talk shows. in fact, bob dole told us that jack kemp was only person in the world that spends 90 minutes watching 60 minutes. he was a native of california. he was born july 13, 1935 in los

angeles. he graduated from occidental college where he met his wife, joann who was a former teacher. he's had four children including jeff who is the back up quarterback for seattle. i got that right. used to be with san francisco but now seattle. was formally quarterback for dartmouth college. jennifer, 25 who was elementary school teacher now working full time campaigning. judith, 22 is a ballerina and has classical piano interest and jimmy 16 is a high school church as churchill high school in bethesda maryland. he was the most valuable player in 1965 in the afl. is that right? led the team to two league titles during those years.

in 1967 he worked as assistant to ronald reagan. in 1971 he was elected congress to new york and elected in the buffalo area. in the congress he has been big supporter of supply side economics and big force in the move to get tax cuts and tax reform for a simpler income tax system. we recently ran a profile of the kemp family in u.s.a. today which i thought revealed an interesting detail. jean reported that jack's daughter jennifer, needed a car desperately to travel around the washington area. jack told her, well if you can beat me in tennis, i'll buy you a car. jennifer practiced and practiced and she defeated her father 6-1. that happens to all of us aging athletes. jack said that he was just warming up. demanded a rematch. she practiced again and she beat him again 6-1. next weekend he was one

politician true to his promise. there was a car in the driveway with a big sign that said you win. were going to get a gold plated podium because of your support for the gold standard bah the company couldn't afford it. i will give you another man who wants to be president of u.s.a. congress jack kemp? >> of all the introductions i had, that is the latest. peter, thank you for that introduction. i thought i was invited to the breakfast u.s.a. editorial board, not the american society of professional humorous. i appreciate the invitation. i got a kick out of jean becker's profile on the kemp family. she reported with amazing integrity, clarity and vision.

my family i was guilty a little bit. i got more mail and more comments from that little profile jean and u.s.a. today than i have in about 90% of the other things we have done. my name i.d. is rising. thanks not to me but my family and particularly my children. peter, i am delighted to be here. i appreciate the hospitality and the opportunity to appear before u.s.a.u.s.a. today editorial board. doesn't look to me in this surrounding of your building that you're lacking for anything, much less gold. i won't try to match you in the one upsmanship area. i am glad to be here. particularly appreciate the opportunity to visit with one of the industries in america. one of the entrepreneurials exercises in america success stories if you will.

i love the word entrepreneurs because it captures, i believe what the kemp campaign is about. that new ideas taking root create jobs and opportunity. i was in france couple of years ago and i love that french word, entrepreneur. i told a group businessmen and women in paris that i was thrilled to be in paris to be with fellow entrepreneurs. they say it's the one french word. i let it roll off my lips and off my tongue. the woman who was making the introduction took quite some time trying to translate what i had said and finally she had a long french sentences, i said what did she say in french. the translator translated your words by saying jack kemp is pleasured to be in paris with his fellow undertakers. entrepreneurs is a verb in

france to mean undertaking. this undertaking that u.s. u.s. is an incredible risk and bearing great fruit. it's an example of what can be done with an idea and passion and belief and faith and of course the seed capital in makes it all possible. i believe in that system. i believe it will work wherever it's tried. entrepreneurial capitalism with work in the inner city. it can work in any country. it's tried. it is the greatest social and economic and political development model the world has ever known. it will work in hot climates and cold climates. it will work in black angelo, asian countries. it will work behind the iron curtain which brings me to the current state of relations between the ussr and the united states. we're living possibly in the

watershed moments in our history and perhaps the history of the world. the jury is out of course all great revolutionary moments have juxtapositions and contradictions. i'm sure there's plenty in in situation in which we find ourselves today. dickens starts off by saying it's the best of times. it was the worst of times. there are some best of times. there are some worst of times. i guess all elephants in this intellectually revolution moment in history makes me believe that we have to chart a course that is based upon a realistic view of history. a faith in our own judeo-christian value oriented western democratic system. keep our defense strong. hold out a hand of friendship to the world, not out of weakness

but out of the recognition that western democratic government is in a moral sense. the right way in which to organize a society. i was on the platform the other day the rally for the national conference on the jury. i was struck by the statements that were made by many who spoke from the podium suggesting to each and every one of us, make sure you believe in linkage. make sure that while you discuss the reduction of intermediate range and nuclear force arms, that you recall the treatment of jews and christians behind the iron curtain. don't forget the violation of the court that were signed in 1966. recall the fact that soviet

union has 115 to 117,000 main force troops in afghanistan at this moment. they're shipping arms into africa into asia into our own hemisphere in central america. it seems to add some realism to this moment. i don't want to cast a paw over the moment of success for the summit talks. summit talks are not going to be successful if all it includes is the so called reduction of 4% of the world nuclear forces. summit talks will be successful if the world becomes more peaceful. if tensions are lowered. if the soviet begin to change their behavior with regard to the treatment of dissidents and minorities and their people. one the points i tried to make in this campaign as well as in the nbc tom brokaw debate with

my colleagues. the basis treaties, debutses idea of a treaty in a nation if you don't require compliance. it seems to me those are issues that need to be put on the table. i want you to know that i believe in linkage. there has to be a change in behavior if there's going to be a true reduction in tensions. the first grade issue in the 1988 campaign will be how to we defend peace not only the west but the world. how do we do it predicated with freedom on strength. the defense is our democracy the expansion of democracies not only in our own hemisphere is going to be a central issue

in 1988. secondly you cannot discuss the defense of the west without disgusting the defense of who we are as a people. we have to defend the family and our children and the opportunity for people to raise children in a spirit of opportunity with dignity and justice for each child and born and unborn that clearly the family is the basic unit of a free society. that is not to disparage families who for one reason have broken up or families who never farmed. but it is to recognize that in a judeo-christian society and in a democracy, it is essential that all regulations taxes, spends laws etcetera, rulings by the court be looked at with regard to what impact favorable or unfavorable it has ton that basic unit that we call the family. i would suggest changing the tax

laws in 1986 to give a $2000 dependent exemption to every child and family was a good idea. it gave low income families to earn 130% poverty without paying income tax. i would raise that to 150%. we have to give people a chance to move out of the welfare safety net without having income go down. right now if a woman on welfare in the inner city of washington d.c. were to take a job, the governor takes away welfare dollar for dollar, the income is taxed at a level at which in d.c. you must earn if you got two children and you're on welfare, $16,000 of pretaxed income in order to get the equivalent of about $9000 of transfer payment nontaxed income. there has have to be a move towards a system in we can help protect the safety net for our society for the poor, the

disadvantaged those who have been left behind in the economic recovery while recognizing that we also want to build a safety ladder of opportunity so that people can advance themselves. finally the economy as a whole. this is where the best and worst of times have probably is even starker in reality. we have gone through 60 months of noninflationary kick -- economic expansion. we had a stock market that collapsed to the tune of 900 points. i won't give my speech on monetary policy. peter warned you against that ugly and dangerous word that is never mentioned in the company of civil men and women. gold. i will not mention it. something has to be done to restore honest money in this

country pip looked a the history of u.s. interest rates in the 20th century. they never went over two or three percent for over 60%. since 1971 when the united states went off a standard interest rates have averaged in the nine to ten percent range. something is wrong systematically with the american economy if the government cannot guarantee that long term interest rates can return to a normal four or five percent. i think that would be healthy for the deficit, i think it would be healthy for small businessmen and women, i think it would be healthy for homeowners and u.s. auto dealers and producers. it would be healthy for third world economies who are not buying anything from the united states. all they're doing is paying off debt to new york city banks. tax rate reforms are a positive

step. we ought to lower the capital gains rate right now to about 15%. as far as i'm concerned we ought to put a lid on spending for one years. the president ought to have a line item veto. i anticipating your question, i want you to know i'll give it to a democratic president or a republican president. any president ought to have the ability to use a scalpel on a budget. i'm williamsed if we do -- i'm convinced if we do the right thing and we have the right type of congress and right president there are no limits to the ability this economy to grow out of this deficit. to achieve full employment without inflation and for the united states to be that symbol of peace and prosperity for all people and be an example to the rest of the world with how to develop their own social and economic political opportunities for people. with that i look forward to your

questions. i appreciate very much, peter the opportunity to be with you today u.s.a. today. >> we're glad you're here. i got a question for you. just this morning the trade deficit was just announced for the most recent month and it was $17.6 billion or an increase of 25% over the previous months. of course the october crash was triggered by an increase of only $15.7 billion. what do you think we have to do to get the trade deficit under control and what would you do to get the two deficits under control? >> i don't buy the predicate upon which your question was based that the stock market collapsed was precip fate -- precipitated that the trade deficit gone up in the month of october in 1987. we had a trade deficit and budget deficit for quite some time. the whole world, the stock

markets in singapore and hong kong and taiwan and tokyo and london and the paris and new york, did not all collapse simultaneously. the same amount by the sudden recognition that there was a budget deficit or a trade deficit in the united states of america. stock markets are markets. marks like any other markets. they rise and fall with good news and bad news. i would suggest that the bad news that has come to the markets in the several weeks is growing protectionism and parliaments around the world and in particular u.s. congress. that trade bill would be disastrous if it was passed and signed by the president. number two the tax bill and other parts of the world, was bad news. particularly the jim wright bill was an direct attack on the capital formation. it was not in and of itself a

$12 billion tax. it would destroy a $5 trillion economy. it takes a little sand to throw in the machinery to grind it to a hault. it was a bad bill. finally the administration, including the secretary of treasury and the chairman of the federal reserve board, was appointed by mr. reagan. we're talking down the dollar. all of a sudden, if you're holding assets dominated in the u.s. dollars and the government of the country saying we don't care what happens to the dollar. they allow dollars and interest rates going up here and around the world. a combination of higher interest rates here and around the world tax bill tenet capital formation and trade protectionism all incidentally the same thing this happened when herbert hoover and republican congress made mistakes. , now they're being made by the

government of the united states by on a bipartisan basis. it's a decline. week ago ronald reagan said he didn't want the dollar to fall. the market went up. if we stabilized exchange rates if we held a summit conference which put aside protectionism and was aimed at lowering barriers to world trade, if we got other countries to lower their interest rates and cut their tax rates, i believe that markets would respond favorably. it's up. us to-- it's up to us in policy making decisions. we would have a lower trade deficit and lower budget deficit. renewed economic growth for the next 60 months without inflation. >> congressman kemp, you spoke fairly positive terms about the summit proceedings this week in washington. there has been some pretty harsh

and heated criticism of president reagan's being schnookered by gorbachev, what is your settlement of what will happen in a treaty ratification process? do you think that'll be crippling amendments >> first of all, limit disassociate myself from some of the remarks that were made by some. i think it was unfortunate that attack motives. i think you can disagree without being disagreeable. i think it was harmful to the cause to side track it and rather fashion by attacking the president personally. i've been a critic what i seem to be the idea that we should rush into a relationship with

the soviet union in which we begin to give them trade, trade credits, untied loans subsidized bank loans, more of what they want and need. technology trade, credit and markets without getting more in return. i've been a critic of signing new agreement until we required there would be compliance with previous treaties. you might call it crippling amendments, i can't imagine why it would cripple the treaty if senate passed a resolution like henry jackson did in 1971 and 1972. i don't think we'll be crippling to require that the soviets give us date which they will pull out of afghanistan. i don't think it become cripping

if a resolution would be passed we live up to the human rights provisions. i don't think if would be crippling if we were to require that the soviet union stop giving military aid to nicaragua an congress. it's profoundly moral to defend yourself and right now as we sit here in virginia at the u.s.a. headquarters, we have no defense. against a ballistic missile threat. i think arson thing could be passed in the senate that would cripple a genuine era of more peaceful relations of the soviet union. let's test them. >> congressman, how do you see the inf agreement playing out in

the 1988 race as the race progresses? would it be a big plus george bush? >> i don't think it is necessarily a plus or minus. i think it has to play itself out. we have to see what happens in the senate. it looks to me it will be ratified. signed by the president and secretary gorbachev. there's a long road through which it.these pass before it becomes a ratified treaty. i think the politics of it, are going to be determined by what happens in the next several days and weeks. we don't know. just signing a peace treat -- sorry, signs a arms reduction treaty with the soviet union is not in and of itself enough to do anything for george bush or anything else.

i think the american people wanting a treaty recognize they don't want a treaty that sacrifice the security of europe. they don't want a treaty that weakens the resolve of the west. i think this is far from over. i think the politics are yet to be determined. >> is there mile all for you to be gain -- mileage for you to be gained on the campaign trail? >> i have not had anybody stand up and say that they're upset with the questions that i have raised on the contrary. in the nbc debate, in my speeches before groups and some center left and right, i have found in not unanimity around the question, why sign new treaties with the soviets until they're required to go by the

previous. what if we were on the site where they produce the ss20, the ss25icbn that can be aimed at europe, what good is it to go that a site and see that they're cheating and not get any change in their behavior? if we don't require change in behavior it would be denigrating the whole process and ultimately, we would be foolish i think. i don't think the american people trust a piece of paper it's not the paper that brings peace, it is the strength of the west and the strength of our resolve and the strength of our commitment to our democratic principles that is the test of whether or not there will be peace. i think euphoria would be replaced with a sense of realism win we recognize that we are dealing with a government that has yet to keep a treaty that is assigned in the past.

>> what are you going to do to win support from all that important group of religious right? like president bush is winning converts by talking about his beliefs in god. of course pat robertson base is the religious right. mr. la hay just resigned from your campaign. what are you going to do to get that support? >> i have lot of support. i've been one in the republican party tried hard to broaden the base of the part. my campaign is not aimed at the evangelical christian. it's aimed at catholic, jew evangelical children labor capital old, and young. i don't want a campaign that's narrowly based. all of the campaigns in the republican party the one progressive conservative campaign that does can reach out to people of all faiths and all beliefs and all socioeconomic and racial ethnic differences is the campaign. i'm not going to do anything

specifically other than try to bring as many people into my campaign who share my belief. i'm not going to engage in a debate over theology. i'm not going to run around and wear it on my sleeve. >> are you writing them off? you're saying you don't need the religious right? >> i would stand by what i said. >> what about the urban areas? i remember when you were supporting the zone. this is supposed to be a way to build up in the city. what is your plan to build up the urban areas? >> well, as you know, having interviewed me before, i'm a strong believer in urban enterprise zones. i put enterprise zones in the area of the country where the tax base has been shrinking and the criteria what has to be fulfilled to meet the requirements would allow. there are several hundreds urban and rural areas of america in

which i would replace enterprise zones which is you know, where abolish the capital gains tax on any man or woman who invest in a business and hires anybody who is unemployed. i believe strongly in the wrangle amendment which allow people top write off their investment. that's part of the kemp bill. my bill has been cosponsored by bob garcia. one the reasons i'm running for presidential, i want the republican party to offer to the inner city poor and folks who had that introduced in their lives by the failure of themselves to get the type of job opportunities i think should be a social contract between the government and american people. i believe in full employment without inflation. it should be done by a entrepreneurial climate in america. i believe strongly in what's happening in washington d.c. with the parkside kenilworth

public housing project. where kim mi gray a welfare america of five children organized tenants in that department. they have organized day care, they have organized little businesses. she sent those five children through college. she wants to buy her own apartment. i would let my woman or man in public allowing, be able to buy their apartment or home at 25% of market rate in order to convert tenants of owners of property. i want to privatize public housing stock to give people a chance to empower their own lives with dignity and justice and ability to own their own property. i would suggest those ideas have not come from the left. they have come from the center right of the political spectrum. it's one reason why i'm running for president. >> congressman, you said you're

running -- yours is the only progressive conservative campaign. what distinguishes that from the conservative right? >> the fault line is between the conservative who believes in the status quo and conservative who believing in traditional value. change future, technology, unlimited opportunity, equal opportunity for everybody and while i have conservative values and i'm conservative on fiscal people and conservative on defense policy, i am progressive with regard to my belief that the republican party is a lincoln party. i call it progressive conservative in order to differentiate myself from the idea that i'm up here standing and defending the status quo. i think status quo is nothing more than latin for myths.

i don't believe in a myth. i don't believe in turning my back on the poor. turning my back on the aging turning my back on minorities. i want to see my party ant conservative movement broaden its appeal and help export some of those ideas to the rest of the world. i believe in progress. >> congressman, supply side economics combined with unwillingness to cut spending in the white house and on capitol hill has created a debt unmatched in our history and deficits unprecedented in our history. the political relate seems to be that a balanced budget and lower debt can't be achieved by spending cuts alone. is there any point at which that debt and deficit would become so menacing that you would advocate tax increases request >> ? >> i think it is faulty.

this is not the biggest debt in the history of this country. this is not the biggest deficit in the history of this country. this is -- if you're going to suggest that supply side economics quote unquote given us this crisis, it seems to me you would go on to say that supply side economics have given us the biggest gnp in history. we are approaching $4.5 trillion gross national product. ronald reagan came to office, it was less than $2 million. when i came to office in 1987 it was less than $1 trillion. the deficit of the country is about 2.5% of the gross national product. we came out of world war ii, harry truman faced a crisis. the deficit was 40% of gross national product. the national debt was 140% of the gross national product and

25 million americans were coming out of uniform and had to find jobs. he cut taxes on a bipartisan basis. they replaced income tax and came down. we grew out of the debt. having said that i do not favor tax increase because the deficit is not a revenue problem, it's a spending problem. a lid on spending and a continued growth in revenues of 11 to 10% a years which it has been growing in the last two or three years we will get budget equilibrium as we continue to put pressure on the congress to limit spending and encourage the economy to grow at a level far faster than two percent incidentally in the 3rd quarter, the economy grew 4.1%. we need to keep a commitment to the poor and to the unemployed and to people who are working to keep this economy growing somewhere between four or five

percent without inflation and the budget comes into balance by 1991 without gutting defense. without touching social security, without hurting programs for the poor or without raising taxes. i would say don't panic and make sure we follow the policy. >> then the deficit and debt are not a serious threat? >> they're exactly what i said they are. they must come down. they are a problem. but it is not of a crisis proportion that we should raise taxes on the american working men and women. >> assuming that the difficulty of spending, making spending cuts continues and certainly you would agree, it's been extremely difficult to get agreement on spending? >> we don't need spending cuts to draconian degree that you suggested, you need a lid on spending and continuum emphasis

on growth. but a lower rate, a lower capital gains rate, a lid on spending and taking off some of the corporate welfare programs, it really do nothing but benefit giant fortune 500 companies, we will continue to grow out of that deficit as we have in 1987 when the deficit came down. >> think enough is being done? >> no. i'm running for president because i want to do more. enough is not being done. they're raising taxes and cutting deficit. i don't agree with those. enough is not being done >> congressman, from your rivals in the race from peter's instruction, you said about the gold standard. you indicate that you feel a lot of our economic problems are attributable to the fact that the government is no longer in the market buying gold $35 an ounce. what is it you want to do? i don't hear a clear picture of what it is you want to do.

you decry a lot and hence that the good old days is $35 a gold >> that's a caricature of my view. monetary policy, urban policy and economic policy. >> what do you want to tie the dollar to? >> let me finish. premise of the question, i think again, is putting forth a caricature not an accurate view. i want to show with you what my view it. i want to provide a dollar that is as good as gold. i want to commit this country to guaranteeing that the purchasing power of the dollar will neither rise nor fall. purpose of monetary policy is to

guarantee that the value of the dollar will remain stable over time. i would take a basket of prices, commodity prices, metal prices, grain prices, precious metal prices and industrial prices, i would put gold and silver in there. i would make sure that basket over time will stabilize so that people would know that the dollar was going to be targeted not against m1 or not against interest rates but against his ability to purchase goods in the marketplace. if that basket was prices would rise, i would loosen. we would guarantee that the purchasing power of the dollar were stable. that would bring interest rates down four or five percent. >> i did watch the program and you never got a chance to finish the explanation which you did here. i thank you. i have one follow-up question.

how can you be confident that supposing this basket of commodity idea, which others have advanced, were put in place? how can you be confident that the united states alone can effectively manage the prices of those commodities and keep the dollar stable? have we got that much clout in the world economy? >> 70% of world trade is dominated in u.s. dollar. >> does that mean that we can manage it? >> it's tough to answer a question -- let me finish the question. we don't manage the world economy. we're 24% of the world economy. but the world economy is denominated in large part in u.s. dollars. it obliges us to conduct our monetary policy with an eye on stabilizing the dollar.

we did from 44 until 71, the founddollar was found. my wife and i bought our first home with a 5% mortgage rate, you don't want to go back because there was some flaws in that system. i'm suggesting that we move forward to a new system in which once again the dollar is sound and tied to something of value. we don't have to manage commodities. we have to manage the currency. if the currency stabilized, the breast rates will be sharply lower. i happen to be one who believes in confidence in the dollar and i believe that the government can provide that type of currency. if interest rates were to come down, it would be a boom for the american economy and the third world economy. >> if i can change the subject what do you think the media has covered the campaign so far? some said that the media gone

too far in investigating candidates private lives and gary hart affair. what do you think the character issue? >> i don't think there's been anything extraordinary. i think it has been tough but fair. the candidate cannot comment because ultimately that decision is made by the consumer of your product, american public. >> do you think that's -- do you think that the opposite view is held widely enough people who are running for office, is the country losing skilled people? >> no, only people that's running is 12. >> how do you react to the resistent rumors that it's going to be a bush-kemp ticket?

>> vicious, rumor. designed to undercut my campaign. i want to put the rest of idea that i would pick george bush as my vice president. i'm not going to do it. i'm not going to run for vice president. i'm a quarterback. i think you know from your interview with us, i'm running for president because i have strong beliefs. george bush does not share any belief that i have. the dollar should be stabilized. he's not a supporter of strategic defense initiative. i feel that i want to move my campaign forward. i think by the time he gets to february in ohio and new hampshire, we're going to have a good chance when that comparison comes between the future of the republican party what i think is the orthodox conventional wing of our party. the choice will be clear.

people will want a progressive conservative to broaden the base and win in 1988. >> congressman, you said in a debate the other night reflecting your concern about our situation with hostages and your policy in nicaragua. you later had a chance to qualify that a little. could you tell it's exactly how you feel about a possible pardon? >> i didn't consider it. i said i would. i didn't change. i was asked a question what if some criminal charge were to come out of it it went beyond anything in the iran contra. i would pardon them to get it behind us and to move on to more important things. i didn't think purpose of the

iran contra hearing would put poindexter behind bars. purpose of the hearing was to get the truth out. the truth as i seed it, they did nothing that would qualify them to be put behind bars. >> everyday a child in south africa orient civilian is being killed. i like to know how would you deal with south africa? would you be tougher than president reagan? i like to follow up with a question of how would you deal with equality in the job market. would you be for affirmative action? >> the question about south africa barbara, i would go beyond constructive engagement. i do not think it's a question of macho or toughness. i think it's a question of absolutely and resolutely denouncing apart apartheid as an evil

practice on this earth. we want to bring down that government as a multiracial democratic and pleuristic society. we don't want to destroy the economy and the opportunity to convert and to make the transition to democracy. -in a multiracial society. without turning it over to a marxist state. we definitely not want to happen to south africa to happen to zimbabwe. jimmy carter, president cart we are. -- carter, my hope is, while the parallel may not be perfect my hope would be that we can use the moral diplomatic climate of

the united states of america to help south africa make that transition to the rights of all people are protected including minorities. as far as affirmivity action program, if you mean small a i favor affirmative effort in a program. training, job training, the jtpa. affirmative effort compensatory tax legislation to encourage mothers and fathers on welfare. affirmative effort. i don't believe in quotas. i i believe in affirmative effort to move all american people into the economy and political lives of this country. >> there's a question that is raised by your discussion about -- let's go back to the predicate used situation. a problem there, there are

hostages being held in beirut. our country said we won't pay rent. in an effort to do something to help females in hostages the president allowed things that is widely agreed shouldn't have allowed. including negotiations between the scene and things that basically were done without proper information to congress. let's say you're president, what are you going to do to get the hostages out? >> every hostage situation, i'm sure you would recognize, is different. i don't think there's any hard and fast rule that one ought to put themselves in concrete on. to say this is the motive for every hostage situation. i don't know what i would say if i was president. having said that, i disagree to

iran with trading arms which is the president said have been interpreted trying to get the hostages out. any president male or female, democrat or republican, would want to do everything he or she could to get hostages out. you can't sacrifice the foreign policy of a country just for the sake of the post-- hostage. you have to balance the need of our society with the needs to get lives saved and as far as i'm concerned, the president took the right step in his attack on gadhafi, terrorism gadhafi has been lower. israel had a relatively strong success in making sure that terrorists pay a price for terror. there has to be a price paid for terror. there has to be criminal -- use the criminal justice system in both locally and

internationally. we got to remove the opportunity for terrorist to get landing rights in countries. we have to cooperate with democratic governments all over the world. lot of things have to be done to stand up there and tell you that i got the perfect answer to the hostage crisis. >> do you sympathize with the administration's unwillingness to tell congress all in advance given the situation involving leaks? you know what happens. >> do i sympathize? >> not particularly. i think the congress should be brought into strong foreign policy decisions. i will be a man in congress, i would be willing to make sure that the proper leadership of the congress were informed by major operations of a nature that ought not to be on the front page of the newspaper or evening television. there are some moments which you cannot as a leader of the free world, put everything out on the front page if it is that

delegate. having said that, i would hope a kemp administration, there will be room for a strong democrat. i love to see a foreign policy shapeed scoop jackson or bill bradley. i will be willing to commit myself to having a foreign policy that will seek out a leading member of the democratic party for a place in the cabinet. >> changing subject. who are your personal heroes? we know about youradmiration for president reagan. who do you admire in history? >> thomas jefferson, james madison, abraham lincoln. >> what are their qualities? >> churchill. mcarthur, coolidge margaret

thatcher. >> what are the qualities? >> courage, determination, faith, belief in freedom, belief in the rights of all people. folks like that who are willing to stand up and speak out and take positions on behalf of human rights and world freedom and democracy and peace through strength. churchill i guess will be one of my 20th century heroes who i think elevates the idea that should not accommodate yourself to terror or evil. >> what about martin luther king jr., seems like he would have been in that mix of courage? >> i think martin luther king was a great civil rights leader? >> do you admire him >> i admire him.

>> congressman, i like to get your views on a supreme court. if you were president and assuming there were vacancy what kind of person would you look for? would you look for a nominee based on ideology? very strong conservative and would you look for a minority or a woman? >> i would love for men and women in the tradition of antonin scalia, sandra day o'connor and robert bork. >> your showing in the polls thus far has been disappointing. where do you need to finish in iowa and new hampshire? >> competitive. i need to be in the pack. if i finished third, single digits it would be the worse finishing fourth right up there in double digits. it depends in iowa that we're competitive. u.s.a. today reports that kemp is in the race and he's competitive. if you were to say that there

were only -- that i finished a distance third or fourth and i'm out of it, that would be harmful. we will be competitive. we are competitive. everything i see in michigan and iowa, minnesota, south dakota and new hampshire, that we're going to be the progressive conservative a. to the orthodox conventional herbert hoover wing of our party. >> we're almost out of time. i'll ask the last question. >> this should be a good one. >> you can point to one experience in your life that was influential and helped shape your views, what would that be and how did it help shape it? >> i don't think there's any one experience. i would say my pro football career was probably being severely hurt. put on injured waivers.

from the san diego chargers to buffalo bills and recognizing that doors that get closed to our human existence is sometimes open new doors of opportunity and going to buffalo, provided a great opportunity for me to not only go on to a good football career but to be elected to congress. that is probably one of the most important things teaching me to never give up not to quit or give up. in politics, i would say the tenacity that i showed overcoming the hostility of the conventional wing of economics. the top rate will be 28 and to see people like bill bradley and dick gephardt begin to believe that we should replace a steeple progressive income tax rate system in this country which does nothing lead taxpayers with

a system that is fair and a strong commitment to job opportunities for all. those are probably the two most important experiences in my life other than growing up and meeting my way and get -- wife and getting married. peter i thank you and all the people and wish you not only a happy holiday season but continued success. thank you very much. [applause] >> during campaign 2016 c-span takes you on the road to the white house. as we follow candidates on c-span c-span radio and c-span.org. >> i think what's so unsocial that if i can be savvy for a

second, to be able to have professional and personal partnership over more than 15 years, is really unusual thing. >> susan temperament and great vision in terms of editing is something i don't have and don't spend time on. i stuck very closely to the grunt side of the equation. >> tonight on "q&a," politico editors who are married, join us to talk about their careers and they're upcoming plans to move to israel. >> it's going to be a great adventure. susan and i were bureau chiefs in moscow. we never spend any time in jerusalem. never spend time in israel. we're looking forward to learning a lot. it's part of the world that has so much history to it. it's so much a vital part of today's issues. we spend a lot of time writing about it in washington.

we're looking forward to that. >> i will also basically be change roles and continuing at politico in a role around growth and. continuing to expand both here in the united states and internationally. this past year we launched politico europe. i came to politico to start politico magazine about 2 1/2 years ago. i think it's been a really exciting new platform to take ambitious long form of ideas. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> this weekend on reel america a 1966 nasa film that chronical the gemini viii mission. here's a preview.

>> the gemini mission is based on the successful orbit of a target vehicle. agina count has no holes right on the nose at 10:00 eastern standard time. the atlas launch vehicle ignite ignites. atlas has three main engines which igniteed liftoff. the booster engines cut off first. the sustainer engine then takes over and propels the agina to 90 feet. two small engines on the atlas continue to position ate gina properly in the later phases of

launch. the agina system when in search of the target vehicle in a circular orbit. something close to that would be acceptable. the agina system can be started from the ground and a burn completed to change the orbit. as the final figures come up to the flight dynamics officer, no inflight burns will be needed. agina has hit the plan circular orbit of 161 nautical miles. this is a good beginning for any rendezvous flight. the news is given the crew by the spacecraft communicator. pilot scott comes back with just what the there ordered. >> you can watch the entire program sunday at 4:00 p.m. eastern, here on american history tv on c-span 3. >> next saturday, american

history tv will be live in washington d.c. where john wilkes booth shot president abraham lincoln. along with the abraham lincoln ford's theatre along with the abraham lincoln institute is hosting an all-day symposium on the president's life and legacy. historians and authors will also discuss his views on emancipation and reconstruction. that's next saturday live on c-span3's american history tv. this year marks the 90th annual black history luncheon. headed by the association for the study of african american life in history. historian carter g. woodson founded the organization in 1915. in 1926, he initiated negro history week, a precursor to black history month. up next, we hear several presentations marking national african-american history month including by the director of the national parks service, the